NJ, NY lawmakers to discuss Port Authority reforms

FORT LEE, N.J. (AP) — Lawmakers from both sides of the Hudson River are coming together to announce new efforts to reform the embattled Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

They’ll hold a news conference Friday morning in Fort Lee. That’s the site of massive traffic jams last fall after a Port Authority official and an aide to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie engineered lane closures, apparently for political retribution.

Since then, the Port Authority has come under scrutiny for its hiring practices, governance and alleged conflicts of interest.

The agency has formed its own ethics committee. Christie and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo have formed a bistate panel to look at reforms.

Both New York and New Jersey have to pass identical legislation for it to be binding on the Port Authority.